Signaling device for cars.



No. 680,90l. Patented Aug. 20, |90I. W. W. WARD J. MEAN.

SIGNALING DEVICE FUR CARS.

(Application filed may 15, 1901.)

(No Modal.)v

llNTTnn STaTns PaTnNT @Trina VILLIAM W. WARD AND JOHN KEAN, OF FAIRMONT, MINNESOTA.

SIGNALING DEVICE FUR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,901, dated August 20, 1901.

Application iiled May l5, 1901.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM W. WARD and JOHN KEAN, citizens of the United States,

residing at Fairmont, in the county of Martin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Signaling Device for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to signaling devices for cars; and it has for its object to provide a construction by means of which signals may be sent electrically from one car to another while' either or both are moving or from a car to a station along the line, further objects and advantages of the invention having reference to details of construction, and which will be understood from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the trolley. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View through the central body of the trolley and showingthe mannerof connecting the arms of the spider. Fig. eis atrans verse section taken vertically through one of the supporting-Wheels of the trolley and showing the mounting thereof. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the coupling between the trolley and its towing connection. Fig. 6 is a section taken transversely through one arm of the head of the support for the wire on which the trolley runs. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the head of the hanger and illustrating a modified arrangement of the wire thereon.

Referring now tothe drawings, in installing the present apparatus a series of posts are erected at the side of the traclzway, one of which is shown at 10, and at the upper end of which is a laterally-extending arm 11, which projects over the trackway to receive the wire hangers 12. Each of these hangers consists of a bar the upper end of which is secured in an insulating-bushing 13, which is disposed in an opening through the arm, and the lower end of the bar or rod is curved upwardly in the form of a hook, the hooks of the two rods or bars being directed toward each other. At the end of each hook is disposed a head, consisting of a stem 14., having Serial No. 60,367. (No model.)

a socket in its lower end in which is received the end of the hook, and at the upper end of which stem are the laterally-projecting arms 15 and 1G, and in one face of which and ad jacent to their upper edges is formed the groove 17 to receive the trolley-wire 1B, which is held therein by means of a clamping-plate 19, having also a groove in its face which receives the opposite side of the wire, and which clamping-plate is actuated by means of clamping-screws 20, passed therethrough .and engaged with threaded perforations in the arms of the head. Two wires 21 and 22 are shown, which are supported in parallel relation and at the same elevation, and these wires are adapted; to conduct signaling-currents sent out from or received by a vehicle traveling along the trackway below the wires. In order that a loop may be taken from one of the wires, the heads of the hangers have sockets formed in the ends of the arms thereof and in their upper faces, and communicating with which are perforations formed downwardly through the arms, and these sockets have insulating blocks 23 disposed therein andhaving tubular extensions which engage the perforations, so that instead of the wire being engaged with the grooves in the arms and clampingplate it may be cut and the ends thereof engaged with the insulating-blocks and taken downwardly therethrough, so as to be insulated from the head, and the ends of the wire are engaged with bindingposts 25, mounted upon but insulated from the stem of the head. The loop-wires may be then engaged with the binding-posts, and thus may be conducted into the line-currents from a station along the line, the arrangement permitting of communication between the station and a moving vehicle, which maybe electrically connected with the wires.

To provide for electrical connection between the wires and a moving vehicle, (shown at 27,) a trolley is mounted upon the wires, and conducting-wires lead therefrom to the vehicle. The trolley consists of a spider comprising the four arms 28, 29, 30, and31, of which the arms 28 and 29 are formed integral and have a connecting-web 32 at their inner ends, while the arms 30 and 31 are formed integral and have a connecting-web 33 at their inner ends, the webs being connected Ioo by means of bolts 33 and 34, which are passed through insulating-bushings 35, engaged in transverse perforations through the webs. To thoroughly insulate the webs, insulatingplates 36 and 37 are disposed against their outer faces and other plates 38 and 39 are disposed against their inner faces, and between the last-named plates is disposed a plate 40,which depends below the insulating-plates, and in this depending portion is formed a longitudinal slot 41, through which is engaged a ring 42. The ring is also engaged with a coupling 43, consist-ing of a perforated web, in which the ring is engaged, and a cylindrical stem 44, and on this stern is disposed and secured one end ofa helical closely-wound spring 45, the opposite end of which is provided with a similar head which has a ring 46 loosely engaged with a transverse bar 47 on the top of the vehicle, so that the head may move laterally ofthe car. The stems of the heads are hollow, and passed through the helical spring and through the stems oi' the heads are two conducting-wires 49 and 50, which are electrically connected with the webs of the pairs of arms of the spider, the

opposite ends of the wires being taken into the vehicle for connection to signalinginstruments of proper style.

The outer ends of the arms of the spider are bent upwardly and are bolted securely to the frames in which the trolley-wheels are mounted. Each of these frames consists of two arms or spaced members 5l and 52, having their upper ends enlarged and disposed face to face to hold the opposite or lower ends thereof separated, and in these enlarged portions are formed sockets 53 and 54, which receive the reduced ends of the trolley-wheel 55, and between which reduced ends and the walls of thesockets are disposed ball-bearings 56.

The bolts 57, which hold the upper ends of the arms of the spider to the frames, pass through both members of the frames and act to hold them together, the upper ends of the arms of the spider being broadened to permit engagement of two bolts with each of them, so that twisting of the frames will be prevented, and additional bolts 58 are engaged with the spider-arms and the adjacent member of each frame. To hold the structure rigid, braces y59 are attached to the spiderarms and are held by the bolts 57.

The trolley-wheels are so disposed that one pair may engage upon each of the trolleywires, so that the trolley is supported upon the wires, and as the vehicle moves the trolley will be drawn along and communication between the vehicle and the wires will be.

maintained, the length of the sides of the wheel-frames being such that they may readily pass between the stems and bills of the hooks of the hangers.

With the connection of the towing device to the spider or trolley as shown the trolley has a more or less yieldable connection in all directions, and with the slot through which the ring is engaged the trolley is always towed from its forward end, sothat it accurately follows the vehicle in whichever direction the latter may be moving.

Vhat is claimed isl. In a system of the class described, a trolley comprising spaced pairs of arms, a slotted towing-plate arranged centrally between and insulated from said arms, and a towing device connected to said slotted towing-plate and capable of movement from end to end thereof, whereby the trolley may be towed from its forward end in both directions of travel, substantially as specified.

2. In a system of the class described, a trolley including a spider having its arms electrically connected in pairs and provided with wheels to engage and collect a current from separate conductors, and a towing device including a head slidably connected to the spider for movement from end to end thereof said towing device being hollow and having conductor -wires passed therethrough and through the head and engaged with their respective pairs of spider-arms.

3. In a system of the class described, a trolley comprising spaced pairs of arms, each pair having a connecting-web at their inner ends and insulating-plates disposed thereagainst, a connecting or towing plate disposed between the webs and having a slotted portion projecting therebelow, collector-wheels carried by the arms for engagement with conductors, and a towing device slidably connected with the slot of the towing-plate for movement from end to end thereof and having conductors attached to the webs of the arms.

4. The combination, in a two-wire system of the class described, of a trolley comprising two oppositely-disposed pairs of arms forming a spider, a towing-plate situated between the two pairs of arms, insulating-plates provided between the arms and the sides of the towing-plate, a pair of wheelsupporting frames carried by each of the spider-arms, and collector-wheels supported in said frame, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a trolley comprising a spider having collector-wheels for engagement upon conductors and a slotted towing-plate, of ahelical towing-spring having at each of its ends, heads comprising hollow stems engaged in the ends of the spring and terminal eyes with which are engaged rings slidably engaged with the slot of the towingplate at one end and with a towing-bar at the other end, and conductors passed through the stems of the heads and the helical spring, said conductors at one end being electrically connected with separate collector-wheels.

6. A system of the class described, comprising a hanger including a head having laterally-extending arms, said arms having passages formed downwardly therethrough, insulating -blocks disposed in said passages,

IOO

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binding-posts upon the sides of the head and insulated therefrom, and conductors passed through the insulating-blocks and engaged with the binding-posts to permit of attachment of loop\vires thereto.

7. A hanger for a system of the class described, comprising a head having insulating-supports adapted to receive conductor- Wires, and binding-posts carried by and insulated from the head for attachment of the conductors, said binding-posts being adapted to receive loop-Wires.

8. A hanger for a system of the class de scribed, having insulatingsupports to receive sections of a trolley-Wire and having an intervening bearing portion to support a trolley in its passage from one section to the other, said hanger having` binding-posts iu sulated therefrom and adapted to receive the ends of the conductor-sections and to receive loop-Wires.

9. ln a system of the class described, a trolley comprising a spider having Wheel-supporting frames, each of such frames including tivo members recessed to receive the trunuions of a Wheel, and said members having integral downwardly-extending portions adapted to straddle a conducting-Wire With which the Wheel is engaged, substantially as specified.

l0. In a system of the class described, a trolley comprising a spider having Wheel-supporting frames, each of such frames including` tivo members recessed to receive the trunnions of a Wheel, a wheel having ball-bearing surfaces, ball-beariugs between such surfaces and the frame members, each of said members having integral downwardly-extending portions adapted to straddle a conducting-Wire With which the wheel is engaged, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own We have hereto afxed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

TvVILLlAM XV. VARD. JOHN KEAN. Witnesses:

GECIL SHARPE, R. A. Evaunr'r. 

